Tuesday, November 25, 2014

THE
PRESTIGE 10-INCH LP COLLECTION, VOLS. 1 AND 2. DUE OUT NOVEMBER
28, 2014 AND APRIL 18, 2015

Concord Music Group hasto announced the release of The
Prestige 10-Inch LP Collection, Vols. 1 and 2, which, in total, comprise all
ten of the 10” LPs on which Miles Davis appeared as a leader for Prestige
Records in the early ’50s. Miles Davis is one of the most musically influential
and most popular artists in the history of jazz, and his legendary Prestige
recordings are amongst the all-time classics in the genre. Painstakingly
reproduced on 10-inch vinyl, with the original LP cover artwork and liner notes
included, these box sets will be sold in very limited quantities, available
only at participating Record Store Day retailers. The Prestige 10-Inch LP
Collection, Vol. 1 [5-LP set] streets November 28th, exclusively for Record
Store Day Black Friday, while Vol. 2 [5-LP set] will be released exclusively
for Record Store Day 2015, in April. Says Nick Phillips, Concord Music Group’s
VP of Catalog Development and the collections’ compilation/reissue
producer, “Here’s a rare opportunity to
time-travel back to the early ’50s and experience these iconic recordings in
the historical context of their original LP album releases—on 10” vinyl, in
their original 10” LP sequences, with the details and nuances of the original
10” LP artwork faithfully reproduced right down to the original typographical
errors.”

The
Prestige 10-Inch LP Collection, Vol. 1 presents the first five 10-inch albums
on which Miles Davis appeared as a leader for Prestige Records (1951 – 1954).
Included are Modern Jazz Trumpets, which also features tracks by fellow jazz
trumpet giants Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, and Kenny Dorham; The New Sounds,
about which Ira Gitler wrote in the original LP liner notes, “This album gives
Miles more freedom than he has ever had on record for time limits were not
strictly enforced. There is opportunity to build ideas into a definite
cumulative effect…Upon the wonderful rhythmic foundation of Art Blakey’s drums,
Tommy Potter’s bass, and Walter Bishop’s piano, tenorman Sonny Rollins and
altoman Jackie McLean are able to enjoy some of the unlimited time for their
solo efforts.”

Following
in the box is Blue Period. In his liner notes for this second LP, Gitler
exclaimed, “BLUING, the high spot of this set, is over nine minutes of freedom
of expression on modern blues chord changes. At the very end, Art Blakey
continues playing after everyone else has stopped. If you listen closely, you will
hear Miles say something like, ‘You know that ending man, let’s do it again,’
but why do it again when you've captured the feeling in the solos of Walter
Bishop, Miles, Sonny Rollins, Jack McLean, and the inventive drumming of Art
Blakey.” Miles Davis Plays the Compositions of Al Cohn follows in the
collection, and finally, Miles Davis Quartet, where Davis is joined by the
likes of Horace Silver, Max Roach and Art Blakey.

The
Prestige 10-Inch LP Collection, Vol. 2, which will be released on April 18, 2015,
presents the final five 10-inch vinyl LP albums on which Miles Davis appeared
as a leader for Prestige, all recorded during 1954. Included in the box are
Miles Davis All Star Sextet; Miles Davis Quintet; Miles Davis with Sonny
Rollins; as well as Miles Davis All Stars, Vol. 1 and Miles Davis All Stars,
Vol. 2, about which Gitler wrote, “With Thelonious Monk adding his wry
witticisms and rhythmic fillips and the All-American rhythm team of Kenny
Clarke and Percy Heath supplying the power, Miles and Milt create an atmosphere
rich in idea and warmth.”

Having recorded a catalogue of Top 10 albums in a vivid spectrum of jazz hues with topflight musicians for 35 years, Dan Siegel only emerges when he has something engaging to say with his poetic piano and crafty keyboards. Back with his first new statement in five years, Siegel’s DSM record label will release “Indigo” on October 14, a set comprised of ten new compositions that he wrote, arranged and shared production chores with Grammy-nominated bassist Brian Bromberg.

On his 20th album, Siegel creates right up the spine of the jazz dichotomy allowing the melodies, improvisational soloing and grooves to unfold and flourish unencumbered by restrictive genre borders and polarizing labels. His cerebral compositions traverse the expansive jazz terrain, but do so with heart rendering them instantly accessible. The keyboardist has a gift for writing inviting, emotionally-evocative material that connects soulfully.

"My tendency is it to overwrite, which can make it challenging for the listener. I believe the emotional allure of the music on this album (“Indigo”) transcends its compositional complexity," said the Irvine, California-based artist who was born in Seattle, Washington and raised in Eugene, Oregon.

The beating heart and soul heard on “Indigo” in part comes from the live production tracked in the cozy confines of Bromberg’s home studio in the valley just over the hill from Los Angeles. Siegel and Bromberg have an easy rapport and level of trust that dates back several decades from playing and recording together. Bromberg’s 300-year-old acoustic bass provides the rhythmic bottom end on tracks anchored by the deft drum beats from Yellowjackets veteran Will Kennedy. Bob Sheppard plays a prominent role using a variety of saxophones and impassioned play to echo Siegel’s piano and keyboards leads as well as emote his own scholarly theses. Allen Hinds and Mike Miller are afforded ample room to dispense thoughtful guitar riffs and do so with finesse. Lenny Castro’s percussion and Craig Fundyga’s vibraphone embellishments add texture, color and shadow in all the right places while two different horn sections appear on a total of six tracks providing power and depth. The cumulative result of such masterful players animating Siegel’s poignant piano pieces is a warm and plush album that will be serviced for airplay at straight-ahead jazz (full album) and contemporary/smooth jazz outlets (title cut).

Siegel inked his first record deal in 1979 with Inner City Records, which issued his debut disc,

“Nite Ride,” featuring guitar great Lee Ritenour. Siegel’s sophomore session, “The Hot Shot,” went No. 1 on the Radio & Records chart and spent ten weeks in the Top 10 on the Billboard jazz chart. A couple years later, Siegel moved to Los Angeles to focus on composing film and television scores.Subsequently, he signed with Epic Records and altered his sound from fusion to collections that spanned contemporary jazz, electronic, worldbeat and R&B. Over the years, he has played and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Boney James, Larry Carlton, Joe Sample, Ernie Watts, John Patitucci, Bela Fleck and Ottmar Liebert in instrumental settings; Glenn Frey, Chaka Khan, Berlin and Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire) in the pop world; and amassed an array of television and film credits that boasts Oscar-winner “The Usual Suspects.” For more information, please visit www.DanSiegelMusic.com.

The songs contained on “Indigo” are:“To Be Continued”“By Chance”“Indigo”“Beyond”“Far and Away”“If Ever”“Spur of the Moment”“First Light”“Consider This”“Endless”

The coolest record so far from this totally great combo – a
live recording done on the home turf of the Greg Foat Group – the Playboy Club
in London! The retro venue really fits the slinky, sexy vibe of the group's
music – and although we already loved these guys before, this album has a
really special sort of feel – with loads of wonderful keyboard lines from Greg
on Hohner Electra piano, Elka Rhapsody, Hammond L 100, and Mutron Phaser –
almost always distorted with a nice degree of fuzz, but still a straight ahead
approach, and some great undercurrents of fuzz too! The group also features
tenor and trumpet – which sometimes sound distorted, ala Varitone modes – and
the overall sound feels like some lost jazzy club combo from the late 60s,
really tripping out in a very comfortable space. We'd easily stack this one
next to our favorite funky Fender Rhodes records from back in the day – and
titles include "By The Grace Of God I Am", "Ingen Reklam",
"Funky Fanfare", "Madrid", and "Mr Minor". CD
features two bonus tracks – "Finky Minky" and "Papa's Got A
Brand New Pigbag". ~ Dusty Groove

A funky compilation of sorts – but one that features almost
all contemporary recordings done in the best styles of older UK sound library
funk! ATA are actually a current studio, put together by the guys behind the
Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra – a group we normally know for more Afro Funk-styled
sounds, but who here recall the glory days of Alan Hawkshaw, Keith Mansfield,
and Brian Bennett – in a host of grooves that are heavy on vintage instruments,
and equally old school production! The work feels a lot like lost funk tracks
from labels like KPM or DeWolfe – and these guys really change their previous
group to get the sound just right – on cuts that include "The Flip",
"London Station", "The Terror", "Cookie Jar",
"Moscow Central", "Sucker Punch", and "Hawkshaw
Philly" – all credited to different groups, but we think played by the
Ariya guys themselves! ~ Dusty Groove

JIMMY GREENE - A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

A heartbreaking project from saxophonist Jimmy Greene –
dedicated to his daughter, who was caught in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook
Elementary school. Instead of focusing on the tragedy that struck his family,
Greene instead chooses to celebrate the wonderful, but too-short life of his daughter
Ana – through a beautiful record that may well be his most ambitious to date!
The scope of the sound here is wonderful – very soulful, thoughtful tracks
performed by a shifting lineup that includes some famous names who were only
happy to help out on the project – like Kenny Barron and Cyrus Chestnut on
piano, Pat Metheny on guitar, and Kurt Elling on vocals. But the core group
alone is wonderful –w ith Renee Rosnes on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and
Lewis Nash on drums – who set things up in this wonderfully soulful style that
seems to evoke some of Greene's most personal moments on record. Titles include
"Last Summer", "Ana's Way", "Maybe", "Little
Voices", "Where Is Love", and "Seventh Candle". ~ Dusty Groove

Monday, November 24, 2014

For several weeks during the spring of 1962, London's music
scene buzzed with the rumor that Frank Sinatra was to record a new album there.
Indeed, in June that year, the iconic star traveled to the U.K. to record
Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain. Recorded over three consecutive
nights at London's CTS Studios, Great Songs From Great Britain would be the
only album Sinatra would ever record outside of the United States. On November 25, Universal Music Enterprises & Frank
Sinatra Enterprises will release Sinatra: LONDON, a deluxe 3-CD/DVD and digital
audio collection presenting the remastered original studio album with a
treasure trove of other London highlights from Sinatra's career. The expansive
set's more than 50 previously unreleased recordings include session material
from the album, a 1962 BBC 'Light Programme' radio special with introductions
to each song by Sinatra himself, a 1953 live session for BBC Radio's 'The Show
Band Show,' and a Royal Albert Hall concert from 1984. The collection's DVD
features a previously unreleased filmed 1962 concert from Royal Festival Hall,
plus a 1970 concert appearance from the same venue with a never before released
performance of the classic song 'A Foggy Day.' The sleek book-style set includes a 60-page booklet with a
new essay by producer, filmmaker, songwriter, music publisher and author, Ken
Barnes, who attended the Great Songs From Great Britain sessions, the album's
original liner notes, newly-written track notes, details about Sinatra's many
visits to the U.K., and several photos of Sinatra in London: onstage, in the
studio, and about town. The new collection also includes two exclusive art print
reproductions of original London concert posters, and a unique studio panorama
from the 1962 recording sessions for Great Songs From Great Britain. ~ Amazon

JOHN COLTRANE - LUSH LIFE

Hybrid Mono SACD for sale individually and as part of
Analogue Productions' Prestige Mono Series Mini "old style" gatefold
jacket packaging These SACD jackets feature printed wraps mounted to chipboard
shells, producing an authentic, "old school" look and feel. Some
people call these "mini LP" jackets. Here is one of the musical giants
of the 20th century, poised on the precipice of greatness. Between the spring
of 1957 and the winter of 1958, during which time Lush Life was recorded, the
music of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane (1926-1967) was developing in giant
steps, thanks in great part to a six-month 1957 stint with Thelonious Monk that
had much to do with sharpening Coltrane's harmonic conception and torrential
attack. Lush Life contains Coltrane's first recordings as sole leader, his
initial date fronting a pianoless trio, and one of his first extended readings
of a ballad, Billy Strayhorn's resplendent title track. We also hear him at the
helm of a quartet and quintet, featuring pianist Red Garland, with trumpeter
Donald Byrd, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Louis Hayes added to "Lush
Life." Coltrane handles the tune's delicate complexities with infinite
style and finesse. Coltrane and jazz would never be the same. Originally
released in 1958. The sleek book-style set includes a 60-page booklet with a
new essay by producer, filmmaker, songwriter, music publisher and author, Ken
Barnes, who attended the Great Songs From Great Britain sessions, the album's
original liner notes, newly-written track notes, details about Sinatra's many
visits to the U.K., and several photos of Sinatra in London: onstage, in the
studio, and about town. The new collection also includes two exclusive art print
reproductions of original London concert posters, and a unique studio panorama
from the 1962 recording sessions for Great Songs From Great Britain. ~ Amazon

HOUSTON PERSON - HOUSTON PERSON '75 / GET OUT'A MY WAY

Carolina-born Houston Person is a towering figure in the
world of soulful jazz. His albums for Prestige, Muse, Westbound and beyond have
always been joyous affairs, filled with soul and aimed at those who like their
jazz with a beat. Until now the three albums which he recorded for the
Detroit-based Westbound label and its subsidiary Eastbound have never been
reissued. This release pairs his second and third albums for them.Person made his name in Johnny 'Hammond' Smith's group
between 1963 and 1966; in 1967 he signed as a band leader to Prestige, where
his album Goodness was a hit. He moved to Eastbound in 1973 and when it closed
moved to its parent for the release of Houston Person '75, the first album he
produced himself. It is a raucous party with Person's sax lines playing over
some tight funky arrangements; one track features Etta Jones. Get Out'a My Way follows in the same vein, an excellent
soulful jazz album which suits Person's style. It also includes a version of
the Isley Brothers' For The Love Of You. Featuring musical backing from the
Westbound Gang and backing vocals by Honey, it is a fine addition to Person's
catalogue. 60-page booklet with a
new essay by producer, filmmaker, songwriter, music publisher and author, Ken
Barnes, who attended the Great Songs From Great Britain sessions, the album's
original liner notes, newly-written track notes, details about Sinatra's many
visits to the U.K., and several photos of Sinatra in London: onstage, in the
studio, and about town. The new collection also includes two exclusive art print
reproductions of original London concert posters, and a unique studio panorama
from the 1962 recording sessions for Great Songs From Great Britain. ~ Amazon

The intent behind Jamie Cullum's seventh album, Interlude --
released in the U.K. in 2014, with a U.S. release in 2015 -- is to strongly
reconnect the singer/pianist with his jazz roots. Gone are the flirtations with
electronics, along with original material: Cullum is playing live with a jazz
orchestra, singing standards that are familiar but not shopworn. He expands the
songbook so there's room for Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" and the
Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," but his playbook is
straight out of Ray Charles. He's growling and crooning as he alternately
pounds and tinkles his piano, giving plenty of space for the orchestra to surge
but not allowing a lot of room for improvisation. Most of the songs here clock
in somewhere between three and four minutes, which is a strong indication that
this album lies toward the pop end of the jazz spectrum. This is by no means a
bad thing. By devoting himself to a strong book of standards and recording with
a live big band, Cullum seems reinvigorated. He's enjoying tearing into these
old tunes and that excitement isn't merely palpable, it's contagious. ~ Stephen
Thomas Erlewine

ORNETTE COLEMAN - TOMORROW IS THE QUESTION!

Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (Fantasy Studios,
Berkeley, California). With his second album as a leader, 1959's TOMORROW IS
THE QUESTION!, Ornette Coleman had not quite made all the necessary adjustments
that would introduce his classic period. However, enough changes had been made
to make it clear that the alto saxophonist -- contrary to his detractors'
sneers--had a specific sound he was aiming toward, and a clear idea of how to get
there. The biggest change between this album and Coleman's 1958 debut is the
lack of a pianist, which puts the melodic emphasis solely on Coleman's sax and
Don Cherry's trumpet. Coleman and Cherry are in remarkable sync throughout;
indeed, "Rejoicing" features several passages of the pair playing in
unison, and two of the album's most harmonically fearless and rhythmically
loose solos are Cherry's spotlights in "Giggin'" and
"Endless." Only the somewhat ordinary post-bop rhythm section of
bassist Percy Heath (spelled by Red Mitchell on the last three tracks) and
drummer Shelly Manne keeps TOMORROW IS THE QUESTION! from reaching the ecstatic
free-jazz heights of Coleman's classic Atlantic albums. Recorded at
Contemporary's Studio, Los Angeles, California on January 16, February 23 and
March 9 & 10, 1959. Originally released on Contemporary (7569). Includes
original liner notes by Nat Hentoff. Personnel: Ornette Coleman (alto
saxophone); Don Cherry (trumpet); Percy Heath, Red Mitchell (bass); Shelly Manne
(drums). ~ CD Universe

FUNKEE BOY - SOUL PURPOSE

Chart Topping/Award Winning Smooth Jazz recording artist
Funkee Boy follows up his award winning/#1 selling CD "Philosoulphy"
with his 3rd CD "Soul Purpose". This stellar CD blends Funkee Boy's
signature keyboard playing/songwriting/music production w/ A-List artists
Warren Hill, Najee, Bob Baldwin, Cindy Bradley, Nick Colionne, LEILA, Surface,
Lamone, Timmy Maia, Tevin Michael and more!!! "Soul Purpose" wins the
prestigious SESAC 2014 Smooth Jazz Award for top 5 Billboard and radio play. These stellar artists come together on my new CD that
features 9 original songs along with hot smooth jazz coverversions of Bruno
Mars smash hits "Treasure" & "Just The Way You Are".
Funkee Boy also grooves to R.Kelly's"Step In The Name Of Love", and then slow
it down with the Eagles classic ballad "I Can't Tell You Why". Soul Purpose takes the listener on a journey starting off
with the Uptempo tracks "Bonafide" & "Let It Flow".
Then it embraces your smooth & soulful side with tracks "Deja
Vu", "Karma", & "Keystroke. There are also brilliantly
written lyrics on the RnB vibes "Bring Back The Days" and
"Satisfied". Funkee Boy then plays with your senses and invokes a
certain type of mood by drawing on the 50 Shades Of Grey inspiration with the
solo piano piece "Escala". The 1st single "Let It Flow"
featuring Warren Hill achieved Top 10 on all 4 Major (non pay for play) Charts
- #4 Billboard, #8 Groove Jazz, #9 American Music/USA TODAY, #10 Smooth Jazz
Network. The CD also achieved the #1 best selling worldwide CD in Soul Jazz! Once again, Funkee Boy stays true to his
"philosoulphy" of blending his roots Jazz + Funk + RnB = SOUL. If you
like Smooth Jazz, RnB, Soul, Piano, Saxophone, Tasteful Vocals with meaningful
lyrics then this CD is for you!! ~ CD Universe

New from alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and composer Ken
Thomson and his quicksilver quintet Slow/Fast is their new release Settle. The
album exhibits the kind of stylistic breadth and alert experimentation that one
would expect from a leader famed for his work in both the worlds of new jazz
and contemporary classical music. Thomson is joined by guitar phenomenon Nir
Felder, trumpeter Russ Johnson, bassist Adam Armstrong and drummer Fred
Kennedy.

JOE MORRIS – MESS HALL

Striking improvisations from the trio of Joe Morris on
guitar, Steve Lantner on keyboards, and Jerome Dupree on bass – working here on
material that's composed on the spot during performance, but which has a
surprising sense of structure at times! Both Morris and Lantner use cycles of
sound to their best advantage – spinning out elements that are noisy, but which
really warm with familiarity – especially as they find a way to resonate
strongly together. The drums can be intense one minute, looser the next – which
provides a good sense of tension in the record – and titles include "Dirt
Reverence", "Response Arena", "Advanced Animal",
"Hymn Zone", and "Magnet Move". ~ Dusty Groove

DAVID HOLMES – 71 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

One of the darkest soundtracks we've ever heard from David
Holmes – presented here as one single long piece of music, put together almost
as an audio collage that evokes all the tension and black mood of the film 71!
Holmes really stretches himself strongly here – and goes for these subtle,
often lower-end sounds that kind of bubble together in the darkness, then
emerge in different ways as the piece goes on – and if you only know the work
of David Holmes from his funky or more retro-styled film scores, you'll be
pretty stunned here! Individual passages include "The Hunt",
"Where's The Soldier", "Escape From Divis", and
"Aftermath" – but the whole thing runs together as one long work. ~
Dusty Groove

Really
stunning stuff – a never-heard live performance from early 70s London – one
that features Gilberto Gil in exile, working alongside the great Gal Costa! The
album's got a lean, stripped-down feel – similar acoustic instrumentation to
both Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso's London recordings – a mode that's an
especially great change from some of Costa's more produced albums of the period
– at a level that really lets us hear how warmly collaborative and high
spirited she could be! Both Gal and Gilberto play guitar – and backing is by a
group of bass, percussion, and drums – the last of which are played by Tutty
Moreno – and the performance has the singers working solo and in duet – the
latter of which is especially great! The set includes a few English language
numbers – "Brand New Dream" and "One O'Clock Last Morning 20th
April 1970" – plus versions of "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band"
and "Up From The Skies". And other titles include "Sai Do
Sereno", "Coracao Vagabundo", "Procissao",
"Acaua", "Chuva Suor E Cerveja", "Viramundo",
"Como Dois E Dois", and "Maria Bethania/Bota A Mao Nas Cadeiras". ~ Dusty Groove

.

TOM ZE - VURA LATA NA VIA LACTEA

A mighty
record from the great Tom Ze – every bit as creative and experimental as ever,
and maybe sounding better here than he has on the past few studio albums – even
though we liked those releases an awful lot too! The record is heavy on vocal
interplay – both Ze with himself, but also alongside contributions from Caetano
Veloso, Milton Nascimento, and others – voices that are often set to relatively
spare instrumentation that's quite rhythmic, but without any sort of obvious
beats or drum parts either – usually more unusual grooves that are matched with
creative elements on guitar, both acoustic and electric, and some sweet reed
parts too – which almost have a bit of a Hermeto Pascoal quality. The whole
thing's a great reminder that the passage of years has done nothing to dim the
vitality of Tom Ze – and titles include "Mamon", "Banca De
Jornal", "A Quantas Anda Voce", "Geracao Y",
"Irara Ira La", "Papa Perdoa Tom Ze", and "A Boca Da
Cabeca". ~ Dusty Groove

A
beautiful record that's exactly what's promised in the group's name – a samba
trio that's heavy on cello – played by the great Jaques Morelenbaum, who we
know from so many other great records! The style's a bit bossa jazz, but has a
very different feel – as the use of the cello really brings out the bluer, more
melancholy moments in the tunes – as Jacques bows his instrument with a great
sense of expressiveness alongside acoustic guitar and percussion. Titles
include "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "Coracoa Vagabundo", "Outra
Vez", "Ar Livre", "Voce E Eu",
"Maracatuesday", and "Tim Tim Por Tim Tim". ~ Dusty Groove

Japanese free jazz
icon Akira Sakata in collaboration with the legendary Pete Cosey (Miles Davis,
Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf), drummer Hamid Drake and bassist Bill Laswell. A
remix of a track from the album fisherman's.com released in 2001, it offers
traditional Japanese folk art meets funk and free improvisation. Mix-construction
by Bill Laswell. Track: 1. Kaigarabushi Return
(11:44). Available December 2, 2104.

BILL LASWELL – BILMAWN:
LITTLE VILLAGE

Taken from the
soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch's newest film "Only Lovers Left Alive."
Bilmawn captures the strong raw rhythmic elements of Morroccan music (trance
and spirit). Track: 1. Little Village (5:19). Available December 2, 2014.from

A hell
of a debut from Portia Monique – a singer who gets very strong support here
from Reel People – who are very much at the top of their game too! The record's
a bit like a Reel People album, but a lot more soulful up top – as Portia's
vocals have this rich, righteous feel that really pushes the cosmic energy of
the record forward – a bit like some of the best work we were hearing from the
UK a decade ago, but a lot more fresh and individual as well! A great return to
form for the kind of music we've always loved from Reel People – but with
echoes of the more dynamic 4Hero side of the spectrum too. Titles include
"Cloud IX", "Ain't Scared Of You", "Ecstasy",
"My Love", "Grace", "Nobody", and "Never
Give You Up". ~ Dusty
Groove

Ever
since he burst on the jazz scene in the latter part of the twentieth century,
The Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based vocalist/guitarist/bandleader/composer Allan
Harris has reigned supreme as one of the most accomplished and exceptional
singers of his generation. Aptly described by the Miami Herald as an artist
blessed with, "the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of
Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat 'King' Cole," the ample and aural
evidence of Harris' multifaceted talent can be heard on his ten recordings as a
leader; his far-flung and critically-acclaimed concerts around the world, from
Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, and Washington DC's Kennedy Center, to the
2012 London Olympics, and a number of prestigious bookings in Europe, The
Middle East and Asia, and his numerous awards, which include the New York
Nightlife Award for "Outstanding Jazz Vocalist" - which he won three
times - the Backstage Bistro Award for "Ongoing Achievement in Jazz,"
and the Harlem Speaks "Jazz Museum of Harlem Award."

Harris'
new album, Black Bar Jukebox, produced by Grammy® Award-winning producer Brian
Bacchus (Norah Jones, Gregory Porter), is his most compelling and comprehensive
recording to date. "Believe me, what Brian brought to the table was
wonderful," Harris says, "not only because of his music, but also
because of the vision, and the way he hears things. I'm enamored with the sound
I got." Inspired by the jazz, R&B, soul, country and Latin sounds that
emanated from jukeboxes in African-American barbershops, clubs, bars, and
restaurants, from the mid to late twentieth century, the album - which features
Harris' accomplished band of three years: drummer Jake Goldbas, bassist Leon
Boykins, and pianist/keyboardist Pascal Le Boeuf; with special guests,
percussionist Samuel Torres and guitarist Yotam Silberstein - also marks his
moving and momentous return to his jazz-centered, Harlem roots, where he heard
all those aforementioned styles, genres and grooves in the Golden Age of the
seventies. "Growing up, I heard the sound of Duke Ellington, Louis
Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Nat King Cole," Harris says, "I was
always cognizant of jazz."

Black
Bar Jukebox features thirteen selections that include several popular standards
and originals penned by Harris. His soulful, silken bari-tenor voice dances and
trances throughout an eclectic spectrum of moods and grooves: from the moving,
mid-tempo, 4/4 swing of "You Make Me Feel So Young," "A Little
Bit Scared" and the Count Basie-ish, "Jumping at the Woodside"
vibe of 'I Got The Blues," to the Ahmad Jamal,
"Poinciana"-pulsed "Miami," the Latin-tinged
"Catfish," "Take Me To The Pilot," which can be compared to
Les McCann's soulful grooves, and an ebullient cover of pop singer John Mayer's
"Daughters," which features Harris' spare and syncopated guitar
strains.

Allan
Harris' soulful sound on Black Bar Jukebox comes from his rich musical home
life, which extended deep into the artistic world of Harlem. Harris' mother,
Johanna Chemina Ingram-Harris, was a concert pianist, and was a graduate of the
first class of New York's legendary High School for the Performing Arts.
Growing up, Harris went to Apollo Sunday afternoon matinees, and he visited his
aunt Kate Ingram's famous soul food restaurant, Kate's Home Cooking; located
behind the Apollo Theater, which was featured on the cover of organist Jimmy
Smith's 1960 Blue Note LP, Home Cookin'.

In this
soulful setting, Harris would meet many jazz and R&B stars who worked at
the Apollo and came by the restaurant to eat and hang out. Another aunt,
Theodosia Ingram, won the Apollo Theater's Amateur Night Competition and
performed at a number of Manhattan clubs, including The Lenox Lounge under her
stage name, "Phoebe." It was through her, that Harris would meet and
be mentored by a seminal jazz figure, Clarence Williams. "We used to go to
his record store, and he'd come into our house on Lincoln Avenue,"
explains Harris. "At the time I was a child ... I just thought that was
just a part of my life. And later, I understood the gravity of the depth of his
history. Yes: Clarence Williams opened up a lot of doors for me, to really get
me into this genre called jazz." It was Williams who brought Louis
Armstrong to the Harris home, and babysat the future crooner, who was
frightened by Satchmo's gravelly, "frog like voice."

Harris
is a first call vocalist (especially back in Harlem), as evidenced by his
potpourri of engagements, including an impressive run as a featured soloist and
producer of Sotheby's three-year jazz series. His commitment to education is as
equally impressive as his recordings and engagements. A Gibson guitarist,
Harris is a long-time supporter of the St. Mary's Children's Hospital and
donates a performance every year to Challenge Aspen/America, along with Vince
Gill and Amy Grant.

All of
which brings us to Black Bar Jukebox: a diverse and dynamic disc that showcases
Allan Harris at the zenith of his all-encompassing artistry. "I'm a
storyteller through the genre of jazz," concludes Harris.

Uniting
internationally acclaimed jazz artists, renowned educators and jazz fans from
around the globe, the 12th Annual Panama Jazz Festival will be held January
12-17, 2015 at The City of Knowledge in Panama City and the recently founded
Danilo's Jazz Club located at the American Trade Hotel in the Old Quarter of
Panama City. The festival honors multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, whose
father was Panamanian.

Among
the headliners for this year's festival is Founder and Artistic Director Danilo
Pérez and his recently assembled Children of The Light Trio, featuring bassist
John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade, who is also the first Resident Artist
of the Festival.

Furthermore,
the festival will host the 3rd Latin American Music Therapy Symposium, bringing
music therapists from the Chile, Argentina, Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica
(among other Latin American countries) and the United States together to
present on the therapeutic effects of music.

Since
its inception in 2003, the Panama Jazz Festival has attracted over 220,000 jazz
fans worldwide, has raised over 1 million dollars, and has announced over 3.5
million dollars in scholarships on an international level. Last year, the
festival welcomed 2,000 students from around the world who participated in the
educational events.

Participating
educational institutions include Boston-based institutions, Berklee College of
Music and the New England Conservatory, which will be holding auditions for
admission and scholarships. The Berklee Global Jazz Institute will hold master
classes, perform social work with Panamanian youth and perform in various
settings throughout the festival. Berklee will repeat last years innovative
program where students will earn college performance credit for the college. In
addition to these various universities, Paris Conservatory (France) and
Crossroads High School (Los Angeles, CA) will be participating in this year's
events.

Pianist,
composer, educator and social activist, Danilo Pérez is among the most
influential and dynamic musicians of our time.

Born in
Panama in 1965, Pérez started his musical studies when he was three years old
with his father, a bandleader and singer. By age 10, he was studying the
European classical piano repertoire at the National Conservatory in Panama.
After receiving his bachelor's degree in electronics in Panama, he studied at
the prestigious Berklee College of Music. From 1985-88, while still a student,
he performed with Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, Claudio Roditi and Paquito
D'Rivera. Quickly established as a young master, he soon toured and/or recorded
with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie (with the trumpeter's United Nations
Orchestra, 1989-1992), Wayne Shorter, Steve Lacy, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie
Haden, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, John
Patitucci, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, and Roy Haynes.

In 1993,
Pérez turned his focus to his own ensembles and recording projects, releasing
eight albums as a leader, earning Grammy® and Latin Grammy® nominations for
Central Avenue (1989), Motherland (2000) and Across The Crystal Sea (2008).
Additionally, Pérez released Providencia, his debut for Mack Avenue Records, in
August of 2010. The album was also nominated for a 2011 Grammy® Award in the
category of "Best Instrumental Jazz Album." His latest album in
Panama 500 released in 2014 by Mack Avenue Records.

Pérez,
who served as Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF, has received a variety of awards
for his musical achievements, activism and social work efforts. He currently
serves as UNESCO Artist for Peace, Founder and Artistic Director of the Panama
Jazz Festival, and Artistic Director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in
Boston's Berklee, During the Gala of the jazz festival on January 14th, 2015 he
will be appointed Cultural Ambassador of the Republic of Panama serving his
second term as such.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Formed
in Cardiff in 2013 Slowly Rolling Cameraa brought together four wildly talented
musicians from diverse backgrounds. The result was a captivating hybrid of
these influences: trip hop, jazz, soul, electronic music fused into a new and
unique soundscape. The product was their eponymous album, released on Edition
Records in February 2014 and received ecstatically by press (including UK’s
Guardian and Germany’s Stern Magazine) and audiences alike.

SRC have
spent 2014 honing their music on the road and have recently returned to the
studio to record a bold and striking four track EP, Into The Shadow, for
release on 26th January 2015. Into The Shadow is more cohesive and sees the
band further develop their sound, integrating lush electronic soundscapes,
emotive melodies, shifts in dynamic and pace. With Elliot Bennett’s virtuosic,
robust groove and Robert’s exemplary production techniques, it provides the
perfect setting for the captivating, soulful voice of Dionne Bennett to impressively
mould he lyrics around the musical arrangement.

In order
to capture the spirit and energy of the band the EP was written and recorded in
only three months. Employing the creative spirit and boundless energies of
Mancunian master guitarist Stuart McCallum (Cinematic Orchestra), Bristol based
Ben Waghorn on sax and Aidan Thorne, Cardiff’s top double bassist, Slowly
Rolling Camera’s new recording has a big sound and big ambitions to match.

The
suite-like opener River’s End, a song about asking for forgiveness, introduces
a powerful and emotive ambience from the off. The title track, with its
gloriously empowering crescendo and sweet sound of Dave Stapleton’s string
arrangements, remarks on how the power of love can transform loneliness. Anne
leads us through hope to regret with a beautifully raw and emotive stripped
down arrangement featuring Fender Rhodes and Bennett’s intimate vocal set
against a wall of strings and choral voices. The final track, Riga, forms a
satisfying conclusion, its odd time signatures, shifting patterns, beats,
grooves and moods defining everything that’s great about this band: bold,
brave, experimental but with deep soul.

These
four tracks confirm that SRC’s promise is no transient thing and indicates
progression on a steep curve. ‘Into The Shadow’ continues to push the musical
boundaries and there can only be excitement at where this young, immensely
talented outfit can go next. But they remain rooted, however vaunting the
ambition. As the band say: “If it moves you, it’s just good music”.

Bullhorn
is the new album by Finnish trumpeter/composer, Verneri Pohjola, his third as
leader. Based in Helsinki, the thirty-six year old has been in the
international spotlight for the past few years and is acknowledged as a jazz
star in the making. His distinctive tone, with its deeply affecting purity and
lyricism, and highly melodic improvising is embedded in self-penned
compositions marked by memorable and imaginative themes that steer clear of any
hackneyed notion of ‘Nordic’ jazz.

Bullhorn
is a key album in Pohjola’s career, marking the shift from a rising start to an
artist of real substance with a powerful, unique sound and a sense of deepening
maturity and clarity of vision. Bullhorn is the album that finally realises
Verneri’s enormous creative potential.

Featuring
his long term associates and friends: pianist Aki Rissanen, bassist Antti
Lötjönen and drummer Teppo Mäkynen, Bullhorn undertakes a panoramic overview of
Verneri’s wide-ranging, evocative yet energetic approach to music-making,
anchored in his strong, personal sound. As Pohjola explains: ‘It has the
intimate sounds and lyricism in improvised passages that I love, but also the
rough energy and emphasis on the compositions – everything I want to express in
my music’.

In
addition, Pohjola has set out on Bullhorn to capture the joy and spontaneity
that occur in performance between these four like-minded individuals; the vital
element of music making and ‘jazz’ that makes each performance a unique and
personal statement.

A truly
progressive artist with a firm understanding of popular culture providing the
foundation of his art, Verneri Pohjola is on the brink of becoming one of the
most exciting and original musicians of his generation. In fact, he’s almost
ready to blow his own bullhorn.

Monday
Michiru returns to one of our favorite modes from her early years –
collaborative grooves cut with some of the best talents of the underground –
all of whom breathe incredible new life into her Brasilified album! We loved
that record to death – and so did most of you – but the work here is almost
even better – as it brings Monday's soulful vocals back to the sort of grooves
that first won her fame on the international scene – as the jazz and Brazilian
elements of the core record are still held intact, but the rhythms are
wonderfully varied, and move seamlessly into a clubby vibe too – thanks to work
by Little Louie Vega, Yukihiro Fukutomi, Steal Vibe, Black Edition, Zero DB,
and others! Yet there's also a surprisingly unified feel to the record too – no
jumps in spirit and sound from track to track – and we attribute that not just
to the work of the remixers, but also to their respect of Michiru's music too.
Titles include "Brasilified (Yukihiro Fukutomi rmx)", "Bossamore
(Zero DB rmx)", "Zanzibar (Louie Vega EOL mix)", "New
Morning (Black Edition rmx)", "Sunrise (Steal Vybe's journey into the
sun rmx)", and "Celebrate (Blk Mrks main room navigation
mix)". ~ Dusty Groove

MOSTLY
OTHER PEOPLE DO THE KILLING - BLUE

One of
the greatest records we've heard so far from this ultra-hip ensemble – the
group's own version of the classic Miles Davis album Kind Of Blue – played in
track by track sequence, but with a lot of the group's own flavors on the
solos! The tracks are all long and wonderful – and done in a style that's quite
faithful to the original, but as a way of showing these guys' continuing
commitment to working jazz roots into their freely expressive music – a path
that's taken them through a run of music from Ornette Coleman to trad jazz,
before landing them here at Miles Davis! Peter Evans handles trumpet – quite a
heady role, but done well – and Jon Irabagon blows both the alto and tenor sax
parts, alongside Ron Stabinsky on piano, Moppa Elliott on bass, and Kevin Shea
on drums. Titles include – of course – "So What", "Freddie
Freeloader", "All Blues", "Blue In Green", and
"Flamenco Sketches". ~ Dusty
Groove

Twin
pianos come together wonderfully here in a tribute to the late Eric Dolphy – as
Alexander Von Schlippenbach and Aki Takase play together on the instrument, and
lead a larger ensemble that includes Karl Berger on vibes, Axel Dorner on
trumpet, Nils Wogram on trombone, Tobias Delius on tenor, and Han Bennink on
drums! The tunes are all classic Dolphy compositions – and are given very
inventive reworkings here by the larger group – with shifting focus between
group horn passages, solo lines, and very bold piano work – all with an
angular, exploratory style that Eric would have loved. Titles include "Hat
& Beard", "Out To Lunch", "Serene", "Miss
Ann", "Les", and "Something Sweet Something Tender". ~ Dusty Groove

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

No one
had a better understanding of the melding of jazz polyrhythms with rocks
pulsating beat than drummer Alphonse Mouzon is one of the originators of
jazz-rock. With his furious propulsive style, he was welcome in both camps.
Weather Report founders Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, and Miroslav Vitous brought
him into the premier edition of the band. And as he had shown with Weather
Report, he demonstrates on his 1977 album In Search of a Dream how well he
could integrate acoustic bass into a jazz-rock concept. In duo with Mouzon,
Vitous bows the deep tones on his composition The Light; he grabs the electric
bass on the other compositions. Vitous as well as saxophonist Bob Malik and
keyboard player Stan Goldberg were all part of the 1977 version of Mouzons
touring band. Pianist/keyboarder Joachim Kühn and guitarist Philip Catherine
joined the troupe for the recording of In Search of a Dream. Thus, the session
was a sort of summit meeting of the jazz-rock elite of that time. ~ Amazon

DAVID HAZELTINE - I REMEMBER CEDARThe
late, much beloved pianist Cedar Walton was a major influence to generations of
jazz musicians and especially pianists. None, however, was a greater student of
his work - playing and composing - than David Hazeltine. Over the years
Hazeltine not only studied, inhabited and incorporated Cedar into his own jazz
conception but became a friend as well. This heartfelt tribute to the great man
contains some of his finest compositions - Holy Land, Clockwise, and Turquoise
Twice - performed by Hazeltine, Cedar's longtime bassist David Williams, and
drummer Joe Farnsworth. A session highlight is Hazeltine's solo performance of
Cedar's favorite solo piece, Over The Rainbow. The great master is no longer
with us - long may his music live! ~ Amazon

SPARKLER - I COLORED IT FOR YOUBrooklyn-based
multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum (New York Hieroglyphics) introduces the
debut track by his newest band, Sparkler. Co-produced by Apfelbaum and Aaron
Johnston (Brazilian Girls), featuring Natalie Cressman (vocals, trombone) and
Jill Ryan (vocals, alto sax) I Colored it in for You is a multidimensional
electronic world music track with lyrics as Apfelbaum explains, "about the
act of creating art, and the desire to give it away." Also included with I
Colored it in for You Pts 1 & 2 is a Mix Translation (dub remix) of Pt. 1
by Bill Laswell.

By now,
It's pretty safe to say that Karen Souza is the great new voice of today's
Jazz. After the success of her previous albums "Essentials" and
"Hotel Souza", Karen presents now "Essentials II", a
carefully selected collection of hit songs from all eras; in exquisite Jazz
versions where her unique voice draws us into her intimate and sensual world.
This time, the album's production has been helmed by legendary producer and
entrepreneur Richard Gottehrer, famous for his work (and guiding the careers)
with artists such as Blondie, The Go-Go's, Dr. Feelgood, Richard Hell and The
Bongos to name just a few. Recorded at the The Orchard Studios in NYC,
'Essentials II' will allow you to hear Karen's voice like never before. Without
a doubt, this is one of the most anticipated releases of the Holiday season. Produced
by: Richard Gottehrer, Alonzo Vargas and Guillermo Porro with additional
production by: Guillermo Porro and Edu Giardina. Recorded by: Guillermo Porro
and Alonzo Vargas. ~ Amazon

JUNIOR WELLS - SOUTHSIDE BLUESJAM

The
follow up to Hoodoo Man Blues (DMK 612), this classic Chicago blues album is
now re-issued in an expanded digipak Deluxe Edition containing unissued
performances and a 16-page booklet with many never-before-seen photos. The
Godfather of Blues, Junior Wells is accompanied by Buddy Guy and Louis Myers,
guitar; Otis Spann, piano; Earnest Johnson, bass; Fred below, drums. Recorded
December 30, 1969 and January 8, 1970, the five extra performances include Rock
Me Baby, an alternate take of I Could Have Had Religion, Junior's In Charge, an
eight-minute improvisational studio jam with lots of Otis Spann, and more, 73
minutes. With new notes by producer Bob Koester. A must for blues lovers. ~
Amazon

SAX GORDON - IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS

Gutsy
tenor saxophonist Sax Gordon has recorded and toured with Luther 'Guitar
Junior' Johnson, Duke Robillard, Matt 'Guitar' Murphy and Kim Wilson, and is
featured on recordings by Pinetop Perkins, Champion Jack Dupree, Billy Boy
Arnold, and most recently Mississippi Heat (Warning Shot, DMK 838). Now with 4
solo albums and his own show, he brings rocking sax around the globe. But while
gaining recognition as a blues and R&B player, Gordon continued playing
soulful, straight-ahead jazz. On In The Wee Small Hours, his first jazz release,
Gordon goes back to the classic organ combo sound and a relaxed session of jazz
standards with a deep and soulful sound. ~ Amazon

Akua Dixon Jazz string pioneer Akua Dixon
entered a new creative phase with the sleek 2011 quartet session Moving On, her
first album under her own name. Her new album, Akua Dixon, is a dazzling string
conclave that surveys the cellist/composer/ arranger's expansive stylistic
reach. Dixon's label, Akua's Music, will release the disc on January 13, 2015.

The
project showcases Dixon as a powerfully emotive improviser and dauntingly
creative arranger exploring sumptuous American Songbook ballads, a suave Afro-Cuban
standard, erotically charged nuevo tango, and a rootsy Ellingtonian opus.
"When I look back at my history I've written for all different sizes of
string ensembles, from duos and trios to orchestras," Dixon says.
"But the string quartet is the easiest unit to keep together and keep
working, and it's the situation I've written for the most."

The
eponymous CD features Dixon's working string quartet (Patrisa Tomassini, first
violin; Gwen Laster or Chala Yancy, second violin; and Ina Paris, viola) plus
special guests like bassist Kenny Davis, violin star Regina Carter, and violin
master John Blake Jr. (in one of his final recordings before his passing last
August).

Also
featured, on one track apiece, are Dixon's children -- drummer Orion Turre,
heard on the album opener "Haitian Fight Song," and vocalist
Andromeda Turre, who contributes a swooning version of "Lush Life."
"They got exposed to a lot of different music growing up and both became
wonderful musicians," says their proud mother. "Making music for me
has always been a family affair."

Born and
raised in New York City, Akua Dixon grew up in a family suffused with music.
She started playing with her sister, the late violinist Gayle Dixon, shortly
after the cello came into her life in the 4th grade.

After
graduating from the prestigious "Fame" High School of the Performing
Arts, Dixon studied at the Manhattan School of Music at a time when the only
track available focused on European classical music. She describes her
post-graduation gig in the pit band at the Apollo Theater as an essential
proving ground. Backing a disparate array of stars from Rev. James Cleveland
and Barry White to James Brown and Dionne Warwick, she developed a vast
idiomatic repertoire.

With the
doors of most symphony orchestras closed to African-American musicians (to say
nothing of women), Dixon found a home in the Symphony of the New World, which
is where she experienced the Ellingtonian epiphany that led her to jazz.
"I started immersing myself in jazz and spirituals, and became determined
to learn the secrets of improvising," she says.

Akua Dixon It's hard to overstate the
centrality of Dixon's contribution to the rise of visibility of bowed strings
in jazz. In the early 1970s the New York scene was exploding with creatively
ambitious and talented string players, many of whom gathered in the String
Reunion, a 30-piece orchestra founded by Noel Pointer. Dixon served as the
ensemble's director of new music, supplying the group with a steady stream of
original compositions and arrangements. At the same time, she launched her own
string quartet, Quartette Indigo, which made its big-league debut at the
Village Gate with her sister Gayle Dixon, Maxine Roach, and John Blake Jr.

Dixon
collaborated closely with another jazz giant in the early 1980s as a founding
member of the Max Roach Double Quartet. She had honed her rhythmic drive
backing the likes of James Brown, but learning to phrase bebop with one of the
idiom's founding fathers was an invaluable experience.

After years
of lending her skills to recordings by masters such as Archie Shepp, Don
Cherry, Buster Williams, Carmen McRae, Dizzy Gillespie, Abbey Lincoln, Tom
Harrell, and her former husband Steve Turre, Dixon made a bold statement of her
own with 1994's Quartette Indigo (Landmark), a classic album featuring violist
Ron Lawrence and violinists Gayle Dixon and John Blake Jr. (reissued by 32
Jazz). Supported by a grant from the NEA to compose the music, she delivered a
brilliant second album in 1997 with Afrika! Afrika! (Savant) with Lawrence, and
violinists Regina Carter and Marlene Rice.

She
spent much of the next decade immersed in education, teaching at various
institutions and conducting dozens of performances through the Carnegie Hall
Neighborhood Concert Series. With the release of Akua Dixon, however, Dixon has
refocused her priorities and put her own music on the front burner.

In
support of the new CD, Dixon will be appearing with her string quartet 1/18 at
the Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church, 122nd Street and Fifth Avenue,
NYC (the church she attended growing up was in this facility). Other CD release
shows include: 1/30 Trumpets, Montclair, NJ; 4/18 Sistas' Place Coffee House,
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; 4/30 Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NYC.

Capping
off a stellar year, vocalist Catherine Russell returns to the New York City
area in December to finish out 2014 in a flourish. Performing in a variety of
settings, Catherine swings into the New Year with seasonal fare and classics of
blues, swing, and jazz from her latest highly acclaimed album, Bring It Back
(Jazz Village).

Saturday,
December 6: Russell reunites with Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks for the
annual Chazen Jazz Concert at Rockland Community College Cultural Arts Center
in Suffern, New York.

Monday,
December 8: Russell leads her sextet as the featured entertainment for the
Louis Armstrong House Museum's annual GALA at Capitale in Manhattan with a
program that will explore varied and sometimes overlooked chestnuts from
Satchmo's vast repertoire, from New Orleans to Swing to The Great American
Songbook.

Thursday,
December 11: Russell and her quartet celebrate the Holidays with a free to the
public, noon concert, in downtown NYC at The Winter Garden at Brookfield Place,
performing seasonal tunes from favorites to the less well known.

Saturday,
December 13: Ladies Sing The Blues (with Catherine Russell and Charenee Wade
fronting a 7 piece band) visits McCarter Theater's Berlind Theatre in
Princeton, NJ, for an evening paying homage to '20s and '30s female blues
singers like Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, and Ethel Waters, with arrangements
based on the original recordings.

Tuesday,
December 23: Russell makes her debut appearance at Jazz Standard as featured
vocalist with Andy Farber's After Midnight Orchestra, the wonderful 18-piece
band that recently wowed Broadway audiences. Leader, saxophonist, and arranger
Andy Farber wrote arrangements and played on Catherine's two most recent
albums, Bring It Back and Strictly Romancin', and will delve into that
catalogue as well as unveiling new big band arrangements.

Saturday,
December 27: Russell and her trio venture to New England for a first ever visit
to The Side Door, a wonderful new jazz venue in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Wednesday,
December 31: Russell and her trio ring in the New Year with a New Year's Eve
show at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, New Jersey for the 4th consecutive year.

Looking
back at 2014, the highlights are bountiful. Russell's fifth album, Bring It
Back, was released worldwide in February on Harmonia Mundi's Jazz Village
imprint, and quickly garnered a rare 5 star review in Downbeat Magazine, whose
writer Allen Morrison said, "By not trying to be modern, she has
paradoxically created something new, retooling vintage tracks with soulful
vocals and striking new arrangements that burnish the blues and swing feeling
that is the bedrock of jazz." Bring It Back was also embraced by radio,
spending five months at #1 on Roots Music Report's Jazz Album Chart, while also
reaching #1 on CMJ's Jazz Chart, #1 on the European QOBUZ Jazz Chart, and #2 on
JazzWeek.

Russell's
Bring It Back tour commenced with sold-out Valentine's Day shows at Scullers
Jazz Club in Boston, broadcast live on WGBH. Of her New York City album release
concert at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, DownBeat Magazine
raved: "What really makes her special, however, is not so much her
technical gifts-it's her innate sense of swing, mastery of phrasing and her
actor's ability to fully inhabit a song's lyrics."

Additional
2014 touring brought Russell from coast to coast in the U.S., and to Europe and
Asia, including her first ever five city sold out visit to Israel. Festival
appearances included Savannah Music Festival, Greensboro North Carolina's 17
Days Festival, Manhattan's New York Hot Jazz, Rochester International Jazz
Festival, San Jose Summer Fest in California, Jazz at Roland Garros (broadcast
"live" on TSF Jazz Radio) and Nancy Jazz Pulsations in France, and
SibeJazz in Novosibirsk, Russia, among others. "Catherine Russell ruled
the roost, delivering a typical revelatory set", wrote Andrew Gilbert in
JazzTimes reviewing San Jose Summer Fest. And after witnessing Russell's return
to the Rochester Jazz Festival for a fifth year, the Democrat and Chronicle's
Jack Garner noted, "Fest favorite Catherine Russell brought her typical
fun-loving stage presence, a rare and deep understanding of the jazz and blues
traditions, and a wonderful robust voice."